It is not a coincidence that the Turkish contingent at the show is one of the largest. The Turkish defence industry, which has seen exponential growth over the last decade, senses a big opportunity to cement its position as one of the major suppliers of arms to Malaysia and other countries in the region. With weapons made by Turkish firms acquiring a reputation not just for quality but also for being significantly less expensive than those made by North American and European companies, demand has soared.
The event is taking place at a time when Malaysia is reportedly close to signing an agreement with Turkiye for the second batch of Littoral Mission Ships (LMS) for the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN). Earlier this year, Defence Minister Datuk Seri Khaled Nordin told the Dewan Rakyat (the lower house of Malaysia’s parliament) that the government had adopted a government-to-government approach with Turkiye for the procurement of the second batch of LMS (LMSB2). Discussions regarding specifications of the ship and pricing commenced after Turkiye’s Savunma Teknolojileri Mühendislik (STM) responded to the Letter of Intent issued by the Defence Ministry in February. The acquisition of three LMS have been approved by the government.
When the deal comes through later this year, STM will join the growing list of Turkish companies that have been successful in supplying arms to Malaysia or its neighbours. In September last year, Turkish missile-maker Roketsan won a contract to sell 108 Karaok anti-tank guided weapons to Malaysia; the country is the first international customer for the system. Significantly, the company was picked over contenders from South Korea and China.
Karaok, the Turkish equivalent of the FGM-148 Javelin guided anti-tank missile, can engage and destroy armor and fortified bunkers at a distance of 2-4 kilometres (1.2-2.5 miles). The system, which weighs less than 16 kilograms (35 pounds), features imaging, infrared homing guidance. The system, which will be deployed on Cendana Auto light armoured vehicles, incorporates an armour-piercing tandem warhead. The weapon, which will come with six missiles for each launcher, is designed to offer both direct and overhead strike modes with a fire-and-forget mode.
In May last year, Malaysia signed The Malaysian Ministry of Defence (MoD) signed a contract with Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) for Anka medium-altitude, long-endurance (MALE) unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The contract includes the delivery of multiple UAVs, ground control stations, as well as a training and logistics package. The Anka-S, which has been in service with the Turkish Air Force service since 2018, has a cruise speed of 204 km/h, endurance of 30 hours with a 350 kg payload, and a service ceiling of 30,000 ft (9,144 m). It is 8.6 m long, has a wingspan of 17.5 m, and a maximum take-off weight of 1,700 kg. The unarmed UAVs, which are expected to be delivered before 2026, will carry a maritime intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) payload that includes a synthetic aperture radar and an electro-optical/infra-red sensor.
Malaysia’s neighbours too have taken a liking to Turkish arms. In March this year, Indonesia inducted into service medium-weight tanks, named Kaplan (Tiger) in Turkish, and Harimau in Bahasa, developed in collaboration with Turkiye. The tanks have been jointly produced by Indonesian company PT Pindad and Turkish manufacturer FNSS. According to defence analysts, one of the major reasons for international customers showing interest in their weapons is that Turkish defence companies are more willing than their competitors in other countries to co-produce and co-develop weapons with companies in customer countries. This has resulted in arms exports increasing substantially in recent years; revenue from export of weapons touched US$5.5 billion in 2023.
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